Bradley Ryan Meester (born March 23, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a center for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Northern Iowa Panthers and was selected by the Jaguars in the second round of the 2000 NFL draft.[1]
Meester in 2005 | |||||||
| No. 63 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Center | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | March 23, 1977 Iowa Falls, Iowa, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 292 lb (132 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Aplington–Parkersburg (IA) | ||||||
| College: | Northern Iowa (1995–1999) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2000 / round: 2 / pick: 60 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Early years
editMeester attended Aplington–Parkersburg High School in Parkersburg, Iowa, and was a good student and a letterman in football, basketball, baseball, and track & field. He was the South Butler FFA Chapter President. Meester graduated from Aplington–Parkersburg in 1995 with a 3.80 grade point average.[2]
College career
editAt Northern Iowa, Meester was a four-year starter at center and a three-time All-Gateway Conference first-team selection. He was named to the Division I-AA Associated Press and Coaches All-America team as a senior. He also made the 1999 GTE Academic All-America team.
Also an outstanding student, Meester graduated with a degree in business management and 3.76 GPA.[2]
Professional career
edit2000 NFL Draft
editRegarded as the No. 2 center available in the 2000 NFL draft behind John St. Clair,[3] Meester was the first center chosen, selected with the 60th overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He tied with Michael Cheever (1996) as the highest-drafted centers ever by the team. Meester also was the highest Northern Iowa draftee since James Jones in 1991.
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+1⁄2 in (1.92 m) |
295 lb (134 kg) |
5.1 s | 4.45 s | 34 in (0.86 m) |
9 ft 2 in (2.79 m) |
25 reps | ||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[4] | ||||||||||||
Jacksonville Jaguars
editMeester was drafted in the second round by the Jacksonville Jaguars where he started all 16 games in his rookie season.[5] He was only the third rookie in Jaguars history to start all 16 games. In 2003, he moved from left guard to center following the departure of free agent John Wade. He is the only Jaguar to start his first 92 regular season games. His streak was ended on December 4, 2005, when he suffered a torn biceps tendon in a game against the Cleveland Browns.[6]
An unrestricted free agent in the 2009 offseason, Meester was re-signed by the Jaguars on February 27.
Meester became a free agent on March 12, 2013, and was re-signed by the team on March 19.
On December 18, 2013, Meester announced that he would retire after the 2013 season after playing his entire career with the Jaguars.[7] On December 22 in a game against the Tennessee Titans, Meester recorded his first career reception on a screen pass from Chad Henne for nine yards and a first down.[8]
Meester retired as the Jaguar franchise record holder for seasons played (14), games played (209), games started (209) and consecutive games started (92).[9]
Family
editMeester and his wife, Jamie, have six daughters and live in Iowa.[10] Chloe plays volleyball. He enjoys riding and restoring motorcycles, deer hunting and gator hunting.[10][11]
References
edit- ^ "Brad Meester Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
- ^ a b "University of Northern Iowa Athletics - Brad Meester - Hall of Fame - University of Northern Iowa". unipanthers.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
- ^ "Breakdown by Position - C". CNN Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on August 29, 2000. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
- ^ "Brad Meester". CNN Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on August 29, 2000. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
- ^ "2000 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ "Brad Meester". Jacksonville Jaguars. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
- ^ Oehser, John (December 18, 2013). "Open Locker Room: Meester to retire". Jacksonville Jaguars. Archived from the original on December 23, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
- ^ Newport, Kyle (December 22, 2013). "Jaguars Center Brad Meester Catches Pass in Final Home Game of His Career". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
- ^ "2015 Jacksonville Jaguars Yearbook: Career Leaders: Service (page 168)". Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ a b Nelson, Jim (October 29, 2017). "College football: Ex-Panther Meester enjoying NFL retirement". Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
- ^ "Street Clothes -- Jacksonville Jaguars' Brad Meester shows his feminine side". espnW. October 17, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2019.